Harmonic Maelstrom
by SD1124
Summary: Team 7. In their world, they were just mere children. Yet, they found themselves being pulled apart by wills not of their own. Now, they will find themselves within a war. This is the beginning of a new fantasy. N/S, C/T.
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning of the Fantasy

Hello. My name is SD1124. This just so happens to be my first-ever fanfic. I know, many of you are now getting the proverbial chill-down-your-spine right after hearing that little tidbit. But, of course, it was quite necessary. After all, I wouldn't want you to read on and go, "WTF is this godforsaken tripe?!" without proper warning. Although, I really do quite hope it doesn't come down to that. I really do. So...Enjoy, I guess.

Key:

_'What was that?!' - _thoughts

"You IDIOT!" - Speech

**"Your naivete will end you..." **- God, Supreme Power, or Demon.

Disclaimer: This is the part where I insert some pithy joke and/or remark about not owning either Naruto or Dissidia: Final Fantasy. Even though I so very wish they were...

* * *

Harmonic Maelstrom

Chapter One: Separation and Anxiety

The girl regained consciousness quickly. Where was she? Had she been kidnapped? In fact, where was _here_, anyway? All these questions, and more, floated through her frazzled brain. First off, what was the last thing she remembered? Well, she remembered rushing ahead of her sensei after hearing the sounds of battle. Her teammates, she had been looking for her teammates...and then, she found much more than she had been looking for. The battle she had heard, it was between the two. She had seen them rushing closer together, attacks leaving trails of black and red, respectively. She had done the only thing she could think of, then. She ran straight for where they would collide, and find some way to stop them However, she wasn't fast enough to stop the collision. That didn't stop her, though. She ran forward, toward the growing ball of light. Only two words had escaped her as she had broken through the iridescent barrier.

"Naruto! Sasuke-kun!"

She remembered all of that, vividly. Then a sense of being tugged, and then, nothingness. Finally standing up, Sakura Haruno took a good look around her surroundings. What shocker was her blonde teammate was not even ten feet away, laying face down in the dirt. Smiling slightly, she quietly made her way over to him. Naruto was known for falling asleep in the weirdest places. To add to that, he had often played at sleeping like that, just to pull a prank on them when their backs were turned. Still, it was nice to see a familiar face upon waking up. She wasn't alone. Moving closer, she started to quietly call out his name.

"Naruto..."

Nothing. Not even a twitch. Maybe he hadn't heard her, or he actually _was_ sleeping. He could be entitled to it, after all, after that big battle. She continued to call his name for a few more minutes, getting louder each time. Why wasn't he answering? Was he playing a prank again? Starting to get annoyed, Sakura roughly shook him. That's when she felt the damp, cold feeling of blood on her hands. Everything stopped. Time, reality, her very heartbeat, everything. With mounting dread, Sakura slowly rolled her teammate over. What she saw almost froze her blood cold within her veins. Right in Naruto's chest, where his right lung would-should be, there was a large, charred hole that was still bleeding. She then finally noticed the pale color of Naruto's face, how his lips were starting to turn blue, everything.

"NARUTO!!" she wailed out, panic, fear, and terror swelling up in her breast like some sick balloon animal.

Trying her best to overcome the tidal wave of panic, Sakura quickly ripped off her backpack. Not wasting time with such trivialities as zippers, she slashed the bag open with one of her kunai. Rooting through her bag, she finally found her first-aid kit. Ever since the disastrous mission to Wave, she had taken to carrying one around in case of emergency. With trembling fingers, she tried to remember what she had learned from her hours that she had started logging into as a volunteer at the hospital. Numbly, she noticed that she herself was starting to go into shock. Filing that bit of unnecessary information away for later when she could actually think straight, she began. Fingers still trembling as if rocked by incessant earthquakes, Sakura took out a pair of scissors. She knew that Naruto would probably be mildly put-off with what she was about to do to his precious jumpsuit, she started snipping the unresponsive blonde out of it. She would simply have taken it off of him, if the blood hadn't had this much time to congeal to his chest.

After a few shaky cuts, the jacket was in tatters and his black mesh shirt had been removed with minimal trouble. If she hadn't been in total shock, Sakura probably would have blushed. Naruto, for a young, short thirteen-year-old, was in remarkable shape. Well, other than the huge gaping maw that used to be his chest cavity. Tears starting to obscure her emerald eyes, Sakura wasn't yet ready to give up. Even if he was a bit of a pain, and an annoyance, and an overall idiot, _he was her friend. _She tried to look into his wound, and started feeling green. Standing up momentarily, she managed only three steps before falling, and emptying what she'd had for dinner the night previously. With this particular blonde, no less. Wiping her mouth clean, Sakura managed to about face, and crawl back to Naruto. She didn't really trust herself standing right now. Taking a deep breath of air, the pinkette managed to hold it together to look at the mess that was Naruto's wound. She sighed in relief. He'd gotten slightly lucky. If it had been an inch over to either the left or right, his heart or lung would have been destroyed. This did not detract away from the fact that she could see into his chest, however. Quietly praying to Kami, Sakura pulled a needle and thread out of her med-kit. Luckily, Naruto was comatose, and probably wouldn't be waking up for quite some time. That is, if he woke up at all. No, no time to think like that. She had a job to do. The first slip of the needle between his skin was, without a doubt, one of the sickest things that Sakura had ever had to do. It definitely beat out the time that Ino had encouraged them both to try kissing. Each other. NO TIME FOR THAT, HARUNO! YOUR FRIEND IS DYING! Throughout this thought process, she had already managed getting Naruto's chest sewn up. He'd been extremely lucky whatever it was that had punched a hole through him had probably been extremely hot, and cauterized the wound. Wait, didn't the _chidori_...Sakura really didn't want to think anymore down that path.

Most of the hard part over, Sakura took a small sigh of relief. Now there was actually a small chance that Naruto wouldn't die. All he would need is a blood transfusion, some bed rest, and he should be fine. She took her eyes off of Naruto's slowly breathing body, and gazed at her surroundings for the first time. Uh-oh.

"This...doesn't look like the Fire Country..."

* * *

A young, dark-haired boy shuffled through the underbrush of a large forest, having long since forgotten when he had started. Sweat dripped from his every pore, much like the curses that fled from his mouth every so often.

"Damn forest. I hate forests. Too many briers, thorns, bugs, animals...I wish they'd all just go up in smoke..."

Truly, he didn't really feel that way. He had just lost count of how many times he'd fallen, gotten scratched, and been ambushed by animals much larger than they had good reason to be. Not to mention he still ached from his battle with the blonde. Damn him. The dark boy remembered their match well. Naruto had shown marked improvement within mere moments. One minute, he had all but defeated the knucklehead ninja, and the next he found himself several feet underwater. The sheer power of their final blow...He was loath to admit it, but he had been slightly afraid. Then, he remembered the feeling of ramming his fist through Naruto's chest, as he had only scarred his headband. The boy knew the significance of that act.

'_I could've killed you, you know...But I didn't. I could have won...but I chose not to._'

"Stupid Naruto...This is all your fault somehow. I just know it is. You always are the one who screws stuff up..."

After much more cursing, and countless more accidents and mishaps, the moody youth found himself near a darkened temple. He could tell it was a temple, mostly due to the fact that it gave off an aura of mysticism and supernatural power. However, this was nothing like the temples his parents would take him to as a child, to watch the monks train and spar. No, he wouldn't start thinking about his family. He wasn't allowed to, not yet. Not until he had exacted vengeance for each drop of blood that had been spilled. The reason this temple was different was in how it felt. Besides the mystical power and age it exuded, it also felt...wrong. Like he had just stepped from a warm house into a raging blizzard. It felt cold, hard, and overall...just wrong. Like it was a blight upon the earth it had been built upon, or something. However, to the young black-eyed child, it was a sign of civilization, and he still needed to check it out. Wary, he stepped from the now-silent forest into the darkened glade. Each step closer to the temple felt like one more step towards the mouth of Hell, if such a thing existed. He highly doubted it. When he finally reached the large, black marble steps, he could see his own breath, and his hair stood on end. He kept telling himself over and over, "There's nothing wrong here...It's just my imagination..." and other such thoughts as he silently ascended the stairs. It was a shame that he didn't believe his own words. At the very top of the steps, a large granite door stood before him, barring entry into the cold temple. It was taller than he was, and probably weighed at least a ton. Shaking his head, he stepped within reach of the door, and knocked once.

As the youth's hand came into contact with the door, a large, ugly symbol lit up upon the door, glaring red. Surprised, he quickly hopped backwards, preparing for a fight. He was confident in his own abilities, not to mention the power he had received from the man he had traveled to see. That is, until he had been interrupted by Konoha's Number One Surprising Ninja. Once again, damn him. The doors exploded open, a dark, menacing light illuminating out of the temple. A keening cry arose from within, putting even the worst banshee to shame. The sound brought the boy to his knees, crying out in pain as the sound reverberated through his ears. He swore he felt blood running out. However, just as quickly as the sounds had started, they stopped. Even with eyes slammed shut in pain, the young ninja suddenly felt a presence in front of him. He was now severely afraid. This person had not only disabled him within moments, but had also appeared out of nowhere. He waited for a moment, anticipating an end. Then another moment. And another. Finally, he cracked open his eyes, and saw the largest man he had every seen. He could see no flesh, covered in armor as he was. Each inch of the giant's body seemed covered with shining, powerful steel. His helm seemed bizarre, as it had large, pointed horns growing from the sides. A rich, dark blue cape fluttered behind him, seemingly moving due only to the steel monster's own power radiating out. Most horrifying, however, had to be this silver demon's weapon. It looked thicker than the boy's entire body, and sharper than even diamond. Soulless, yellow eyes stared out from the demon's helm, searing his soul. Finally, with a voice that seemed more natural disaster than human, he spoke.

"We have been expecting you, Sasuke Uchiha."

* * *

Author's Notes: So...What do you think? How's that for a first chapter, eh? Where are Naruto and Sakura? Why is Garland expecting Sasuke? Will Naruto survive? Find out, on the next adventure of "Harmonic Maelstrom"! (Oh dear god, that's what happens when your little brother talks you into an all-night Digimon marathon. You start talking like Davis. Someone get me help.)

Yeah, you see that button right there? You know, the one with the big ol' "R" on it? Yeah, hit that button, if you would. I'd like to know I don't truly suck at life when it comes to writing, you see.


	2. Chapter 2: Naruto Almighty

Wow. A second chapter. Either I'm awesome, or I have far too much time on my hands. You, being the reader, be the judge of that. Also, a healthy shout-out to you two people that reviewed. Just because you did, this chapter goes out that much quicker. Remember kiddos, I like to feel important. You putting out a review does my deflated ego (and lazy muse) wonders. So, thanks again. I'll be taking requests for which heroes (or villains!) you want to show up first. After all, this IS for you. (And some for me. I couldn't hold it in any longer...)

Key: See Chapter One. I am not in the current mindset to repeat myself, I suppose.

**Disclaimer: Me no own Naruto nor Dissidia. A bloody shame, that.**

**Harmonic Maelstrom**

**Chapter Two: Naruto Almighty**

Sakura Haruno sat in the middle of what seemed to be a strange mix between clouds and water. Behind her, her teammate Naruto Uzumaki remained comatose. She hadn't moved an inch for a full two hours. Why, you might ask? Well, the area, while seemingly comforting, defied almost all possible laws of physics and nature. Sure, ninjas could run on water and move faster than the human eye could move, but _clouds_? That just didn't make a bit of sense! However, her mind was finally starting to function once more when she chanced a look at her fallen teammate.

Taking in a breath, she slowly stood, trying her best not to freak out at the complete breach of reality happening with each step she took. She would concentrate on Naruto. Knowing that the blonde knucklehead wouldn't last for long without a blood transfusion, she quickly hoisted him up on her back. Amazingly enough, he didn't weigh all that much.

"You know, for a boy, you're actually pretty light, you know that, Naruto?"

Silence was her answer. Yes, she admitted to herself, she was frightened out of her wits. She had no idea where in the world she was, what exactly happened, and how come her teammate had received a massive gash upon her awakening. She trudged on forward, gazing at the pearly white skies. Not a cloud flew above them, seeming as if she was walking in an empty heaven. An offhand idea floated in her head, wondering if she had died. Yet, if she was dead, then why was Naruto here? She shook her head, trying to stay focused on her mission. So she continued onward, slowly making her way across the ground for hours.

She was just beginning to get tired when she thought she heard something. She came to a stop, trying to understand just what that sound could be. Then, she heard a small groan from her back. Surprised, she dropped her cargo. What resulted was a small groan.

"Nnngg...Sakura-chan...why'd you drop me...?"

That meant he'd been conscious for at least a little while. That was taking advantage of her. Sakura Haruno was never taken advantage of. Ever. She quickly pulled her fist back, and let fly.

"You stupid baka! You were awake and didn't tell me?!" she shouted at the defenseless blonde, who unconsciously rubbed the spot on his head where he'd been struck.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan...I didn't mean to. I was just a little tired. I didn't mean to sleep for so long. So, did we get Sasuke back?"

That shut her up quick. She hadn't thought about her...interest...ever since she had found herself dropped wherever _here_ was. She'd been focused on making sure her knuckle-headed friend didn't die. Guilt quickly set in, after she thought about it for a second. Not only had she completely forgotten about Sasuke, but she'd forgotten that Naruto was still injured. Swallowing a calming breath, she turned back to Naruto, just to watch his face drop quickly.

"Sa-sakura-chan?" he began. "We did get him, didn't we? Sakura-chan?"

"Naruto..."

Naruto visibly deflated at this. He knew then what had happened.

"...He got away..." he stated, his voice betraying nothing. However, at that point, he didn't need his voice. His eyes told all. Beforehand, they had been shining like polished sapphires in the noon-time sun. Now, they were much more akin to swirling vortexes of pain, misery, and defeat. Yet, he couldn't let Sakura-chan know that. He had to be the strong one.

"...Well, Sakura-chan, I promised I'd get him back, so I will! It just means that it'll take a little longer than I thought!" he finished with a grin that most certainly didn't meet his eyes. Though he tried his best to hide the hurt, the pain, Sakura saw it all. She also knew who to blame for that pain. It was definitely a sharp and painful wake-up call to the pinkette.

"Naruto...Next time, we'll _both_ bring him back..." she half-whispered gently. However, Naruto caught the small undertones in her quiet words.

'_I don't hate you, Naruto. Next time, we'll both be strong enough to take him. So, you better not leave behind again...'_

A large grin lit up the blonde's face, this one much more radiant and powerful than the last. This one was a true smile. As such, Sakura could feel the edges of her own mouth begin to rise slowly, even though her eyes felt a little moist.

"Got it, Sakura-chan!"

"You better, Naruto."

A golden-haired woman in white was suddenly shocked by a large force. It felt chaotic, but by the same fare...orderly, controlled.

'_**What is this? What could possibly contain such a mixed force within it? Chaos...What have you done?'**_

Quickly, she used her waning power to investigate the flux. It seemed that now, three additional life forces had been tied to the Eternal Wheel. By that admission, so had another world been shut down, all light returned to its crystal. However, something was different about this world. She had never felt such power nor such potential. This world was not under her jurisdiction as a goddess. Chaos had _really_ wanted whatever he had pulled so much that he had cast out that world's own gods, and reinstated himself and her to them. She now held another world within her power, adding to it, but all she felt was sadness.

_**'Another world, lost to the Eternal Struggle...Your audacity knows no bounds, Chaos...I am glad this shall be the last time we shall fight.'**_

Using her divine powers, she quickly teleported herself to the strange force.

Naruto was practically bouncing with every step he took. Sakura-chan didn't hate his guts for defaulting ( a big word Iruka-sensei taught him meaning "screwed up") on his promise. He was a feeling a small bit of pain in his chest, but nothing too horrible. He guessed that the stupid fox was healing him and dulling the pain, anyway. He didn't really care either way. Another reason he was feeling so hyper was that he was now somewhere he'd never been before. Sure, he was a little anxious (another word Iruka-sensei had taught him) about not knowing how to get back to Konoha, but he wanted to explore more. He'd be worried when he had nothing better to do. Which looked pretty far off, considering how far they had already traveled.

Beside him, Sakura didn't feel her teammate's exuberance. She was tired, hungry, tired, achy, tired, and did she mention tired?

"Naruto...Can we stop...?" she barely managed to pant out. Looking backwards, Naruto had the grace to look somewhat sheepish.

"Sorry...I was a little overexcited...I haven't really been out of the village all that much. Plus, whenever we _do_ travel, we have to do something. How about a little fun exploring once and awhile, you know?"

Sakura rolled her eyes at him (and even that hurt a little). Naruto caught the idea, though.

"Okay, we'll stop. After all, I need to train a little today. Can't let the teme get ahead of me, ne?" he joked through foxy eyes.

Her reply was a tired punch to his arm.

Naruto stuck his tongue out at her good-naturedly while subconsciously rubbing his arm. Damn, she could punch. He began to set up a small camp on the cloudy-water ground...thing...and asked Sakura if she wanted him to do anything for her. He received no reply. About to speak again, Naruto turned around and found his female teammate sound asleep, laying on her overly-large backpack.

At this point, Naruto remembered why he liked her so much.

'_She just looks so pretty right now. It's like an watching an angel...'_

Shaking his head, Naruto began to concentrate on actually making the area livable for a while. He found that he couldn't set up a tent, due to the fact that he couldn't pound the stakes into the ground. In that respect, it was like trying to attach something to a still pond. You could put something in, but without reaching the bottom, you couldn't hold it there. So, he just layed out the sleeping bags, his bright orange monstrosity, and her hot pink eyesore. He couldn't start a fire, as there were no trees for miles. Slightly dejected with how little he could really do right now, he quietly picked up Sakura-chan to tuck her in the makeshift bed. She started once, and almost woke in his arms. Naruto knew it would definitely take some fast talking to get out of a severe thrashing if she woke up. He waited for a moment, making sure she would suddenly wake up. Sastified, he put her down. Or at least, he tried to. For now Sakura had taken it upon herself to latch onto his neck, and snuggled in to his chest.

"Mmm...warm..." she muttered out. Now, Naruto was no lech. Hell, he ousted perverts for fun. Yet, he could help but think how nice it felt for Sakura-chan to hug him like that. He knew for sure that he'd be pummeled later for this, but it would totally be worth it.  
Just as he was getting comfy next to Sakura, the hair on the back of Naruto's neck began to stand on end. Now, that meant one of two things to him: Someone was in trouble, or something was coming. Now, he was pretty sure that no one he knew (or least, he hoped) was in danger, so that meant Option Two was more likely. First, he had to get out of Sakura's arms. Damn. Now, how exactly could he do that...Oh. Kami, was he an idiot. Chuckling to himself, Naruto flashed through handsigns.

"**Kawarimi no Jutsu**." With a poof of smoke, Naruto was out of Sakura's arms. Replacing him was her backpack.

'Dodged _that_ bullet...' Quickly, he grabbed a kunai from his weapons pouch.

As he stood ready, a giant pillar of light shone down in the middle of the camp, blinding Naruto. However, not only was he blinded, but he couldn't help but feel as though he was slowly being crushed. It reminded hm of the time he'd been subjected to Orochimaru's Killer Intent. Although, this dwarfed it easily. It probably was good that there was no malice or ill-intent in it, or else he'd probably have had his mind shut down.

When he could see again, he saw what was definitely the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his life. She had golden locks that seemed to be perpetually hung in the air, as if too afraid to hinder her ethereal beauty. She moved with grace unobtainable, both in years past and future. She was the very epitome of femininity and life. Then it hit him: she was the being that was casting off all the power surrounding him. Gearing himself for a fight, he looked directly into her eyes, defiance coursing through his body even more than his blood. He saw the evident shock pass through her face at that. What was that look for...?

Cosmos couldn't believe her eyes. Right in front of her was were children. Children. What could Chaos possibly want with CHILDREN? She noted the blonde boy in front of her held a blade up in front of himself, sidling subconsciously in front of the sleeping girl-child. Then he looked into her eyes, and all thought stopped. A mortal looking directly into her eyes. The thought alone was preposterous. Not even the Warrior of Light, Hikari, could do that. The last mortal who had attempted such a feat had instantly been incinerated, as the eons of knowledge and power seeped through her irises into his mind. He died slowly. Yet, this child, probably no more than thirteen, was not only able to stand while she focused some of her power into suppressing the area around him, but also able to stare defiantly into her eyes. Chaos' choice wasn't so far-fetched now. Slowly, she began towards him, hands held in a placating manner.

"**Hold child...I mean no harm to you or to your friend."**

Naruto had heard lines like that before. Sure, she _looked_ nice, but who knew? She might be using a **Henge**, or a **genjustu**. Still, she obviously held a lot of power, and he just had a gut feeling that she wasn't lying. Well, his gut hadn't lied to him yet. Well, discrediting the expired milk he'd drank that one time, but that was beside the point. Slowly, he lowered his kunai. Still, it didn't do to let his guard down completely, so he continued to hold her eyes with his own.

"Okay...But if you try anything funny, and I'm going to have to get rough..." he said carefully. He hadn't had to. As he finished talking, the pressure he'd felt just...disappeared. Able to move again, Naruto stretched, before he turned to check on Sakura. She was still sleeping soundly. Turning back to the blonde-haired woman, he walked forward, a grin appearing on his face almost naturally.

"Sorry about that, uh..."

**"Cosmos. My name is Cosmos." **she said, smiling.

"Yeah, sorry about that, Cosmos-chan. My name is Naruto Uzumaki."

And with that meeting, the course of history was to be forever changed...

End Chapter Two.

**Author's Notes:** Yea, I'm sorry I took so long with this. I just like for things to sound just right before I upload stuff. I'm going to tr to be better when it comes wih writing this. You know, ut stuff up regularly and all that. This writing a fanfiction's a harder thing than it looks. Well, I'm going to have to say thanks once again to those lovely people who took the time to write a review. You made my day, and made this chapter come out much quicker than I would have made it. Also, what do you guys think so far? Am I getting Naruto and Sakura right here? Is Cosmos a little too human? Do you miss Sasuke's broody-ness? Remember kiddies, send me a PM or a review for who you want to show up next. If I get enough answers, I might put them in. Well, that's about it. Remember kids, visitors and hits are nice, but I like reviews more, so don't be shy about hitting that nice green button at the bottom! Tip your waitress, I'll be here till Thursday!  
**Edit:** Sorry about the previous update. Formatting error. I know, rookie mistake, but what can you do? Also, in this fic, I see Onion actually being

a sixteen year old. You know, at least a little older. Going into this fic, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke are all twelve, going on thirteen. Why? Well, you'll see.

**Techniques:**

**Kawarimi no Jutsu**: User is replaced with an item, quicker than most human eyes can see. D-Rank Jutsu.

**Henge:** A transformation technique. The user is able to transform how they look, down to the very last mole. D-Rank.

**genjutsu:** One of the disciplines a ninja can learn. This branch deals with deceiving the enemy's senses, ranging from how they perceive movement to a full-on hallucination.


	3. Chapter 3: Recruited

Hello kids, you look well! Sorry I haven't updated in so long. Also, the problem with Ch. 2 has been remedied. I submitted something in the wrong format, so it looked like complete crap. So, it should be easier reading now, and with emphasis in all the right places. Hey, some people have reviewed! Awesome! Let's answer some, shall we?

**mag77:** Thanks for the review. Cosmos is surprised to see children due to the fact that (SPOILER ALERT!) Onion Knight (in this fic) is going to be a bit older. Say, maybe, sixteen or so? I just think that having Team 7 as kids is easier to experiment with. Y'know, to mold them.

**xrowa-chanx: **Thanks for your input. As for who will be…influencing…Sasuke, well, we're going to have to wait for that, aren't we? Just to give you a small tidbit, the original chaos warriors AREN'T the only bad guys who made it out. Ha, now I've got you all guessing! Any other small bits of stuff you guys want me to make you guess on? No?

Well, I'm sure that you don't want to hear me ramble on anymore. So, on with the show!

**Disclaimer: SD1124 does not own Naruto or Dissidia. He does, however, own a severe case of dementia whenever either topic is talked about in his presence. Go figure.**

**Chapter 3: When it Rains…**

Cosmos looked down at the small children who had fallen asleep around her. The girl, Sakura, as Naruto had called her, hadn't once woken the entire time she was there. Not entirely strange, but probably not the best thing in her profession, from what Naruto had told her. She had learned much from the blonde boy who was asleep not far from the girl. She was still a little saddened that the children now were technically orphans, and didn't even know it yet. Yet another world had been consumed by the fires of war. Still, she found it strange that two, possibly even three children had managed to be summoned at once. She was still a bit wary about the age of the children, seeing as her youngest hero was at the very least fifteen years of age. However, she felt a strange aura about the both of them. She felt that both were destined for greatness someday.

Considering the sheer power she had seen emanating from Naruto earlier, she wouldn't be that surprised. While she was loath to admit it, she also found that she might need that power. If she could gain his help, the war against Chaos would go that much easier.

Still...She didn't want to force them into a battle that they didn't want to join. But, if her powers were correct, then they sadly didn't have exactly that much of a choice in the matter anymore. Anyone that they had called "friend" or "family" was now part of their world's crystal, waiting for the day that balance was restored. They were truly alone now.

Turning toward the two slumbering Genin, all Cosmos found herself filled with was great sadness.

'**Another world, another battle…I cannot wait for this war to end. I do not think that I could handle one more…'**

Shaking her head, she walked slowly towards the children, and knelt before them. As she approached, Sakura slowly began to rise. As she did, Cosmos allowed a small smile to come to her face. As the light slowly played across the small girl's hair, it glowed an iridescent pink, matching the colors of the rising sun perfectly. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and her emerald eyes found themselves looking at what had to be Kami herself. She found herself suddenly stiffening.

'Am I…Am I dead?'

To Sakura's great surprise, she found herself answered only seconds later she had thought.

"**No, young Sakura, you are not dead. You have just awoken from a long and tiring journey. One, I fear, is not entirely over."**

Sakura couldn't exactly help herself after that. Yes, she "Meep'd". Standing in front of her was someone who could read her mind! Thinking on that though, she shouldn't have been as surprised as she was. After all, her best friend/rival was from a family of such people. After her little "Meep", though, Naruto started awake, blurry eyes darting about.

"Huhn? Whuzzat? Sakura?"

Waking up sufficiently after rubbing the last bit of sleep from his blue eyes, Naruto turned to the two beautiful (in his mind) girls before him.

"Ah! Good morning, Sakura-chan, Cosmos-chan! I guess I fell asleep on guard duty again, huh?"

At hearing the easy way Naruto named the mystery woman, Sakura got up slowly, trying to forget the aches and pains of long hours of travel. Making her way over to the blonde boy, she found herself in Interrogation Mode.

"Cosmos-_chan_? Who is she, Naruto? Are you sure she won't try to kill us or something like that?" she whispered quietly.

Frowning, Naruto looked at Sakura.

"Yeah, I'm sure. If she wanted to do anything like that, why didn't she? She had more than enough time to do that after I fell asleep. She probably wouldn't have needed to wait for us to fall asleep, anyway, Sakura-chan. Cosmos-chan is a god, after all," he stated nonchalantly.

Stricken, Sakura inched her head back towards Cosmos, who was still smiling good-naturedly.

'A g-g-god…?!"

Once again, Cosmos displayed her omnipotence.

"**Why, of course. Did you think the floating hair and ability to hear your thoughts was just for show?"**

At this, Sakura found gravity to be a bit too hard for her to fight against. As such, she fell immediately back. However, before the ground could make her acquaintance, she found herself in something warm.

"Careful, Sakura-chan. You probably are still a little beat from yesterday, huh? D'ya need me to carry you again?"

…Poor, naïve Naruto.

"D-DON'T BE SO FORWARD, NARUTO-BAKA!"

And Naruto once again found himself on the receiving end of the Sakura Special. After a highly flustered Sakura had ample time to cool down, a nearly comatose Naruto could climb to his feet without seeing stars, and a golden-haired goddess could stop snickering, Cosmos turned serious.

"**Young ones…I have some news that may be a little hard for you to swallow. I would ask that you both sit down. Well, Sakura, you sit. Naruto, maybe you should just…lay down…" **Cosmos stated, trying to inject at least a little humor into her bad news.

"**When you arrived here, you were alone…and from now on, I am afraid that it will remain so. Anyone you knew, anyone you cared about…they are gone."**

Sakura and Naruto just froze at that. In all honesty, could you really blame them? They practically heard that all their friends and family were gone. How do you handle that?

Continuing on, Cosmos spoke. **"If it is any consolation, they are not dead, or anything of the sort. They have been reclaimed by the Crystal of your world."**

Well, if that helped, it didn't show. Naruto sat there, surprise and shock stuck on his face. Sakura, if anything, was worse off. All the color had drained from her face, and she just seemed to wilt.

"…**There is a way for them to come back, but…I feel uneasy about it…"**

Naruto came to life at this. He latched onto this line with every fiber of his being. If there was even the smallest chance…!

"I'll do it! I don't care about the chances, or how hard it'll be, I'll do it! Tell me what I need to do."

Cosmos hadn't been prepared for how quickly he'd recovered. Although it was indeed heartening to hear how quickly he'd be ready to jump to his friends' defence, but still…he was so young…

Naruto knew that look. It was one of pity. He'd received mostly glares and stares of hatred as a kid (plus the odd drunken beating), but he was also no stranger to those looks of pity. If anything, they were almost worse. If they felt so bad for him, why hadn't they _done_ anything? Shaking his head, he forced himself to forget those memories. That was neither here nor there. He fixed Cosmos with his most determined stare, fire burning in his eyes.

"Back where we come from, Cosmos-chan, we're soldiers. We're expected to fight, kill, and even _die_ for our village. Whatever you think we're not ready for, we'd be expected to do at home. Hell, I've already done two of those things, and seeing as I'm standing here in front of you, I'm pretty sure that you can guess what those two things are."

Sakura whipped her head around at this, shock apparent on her face. Had she heard right? Naruto-stupid, silly, always smiling Naruto-had killed someone? What had forced him to do that?

Cosmos' eyes shone with sadness at this news.

'**He's so young, and already he has been stained with blood. What pain…'**

Shaking her own head, Cosmos looked at Naruto once more, with new eyes.

"**Fine then, Naruto. I felt it compulsory to at least warn you, though. You will be forced to fight men and women who have killed thousands of men and women, some better fighters than you"**

At this, Naruto felt it important to at least look slightly affronted. Cosmos simply overrode his youthful arrogance.

"…**Yes, Naruto, better than you. Some are capable of destroying entire planets at their best, others have no thought for human life. Some have been heroes who have gone on to kill their own friends in cold blood, and more still are out for vengeance. To free your people, and save your world, you must fight these people, and find your world's Crystal. When you find your Crystal, the path you will travel will soon see its end."**

'_**As will my own…'**_

"..Is that all? Ha…and I thought that this was going to be hard. This is almost like the time I had to go get Baa-chan," Naruto blustered. Beneath all that bluster, though, both females could see he was visibly shaking.

Sakura didn't blame him. If it wasn't for the fact that see still hadn't fully accepted that their people were now gone, she probably would have thrown up from the amount of fear running through her. Thank Kami for shock, she supposed. Looking away from Naruto, she noticed Cosmos looking at her intensely. Why was she looking so hard at her?

"…W-what? Is there something on my face…?"

"**And what of you, Sakura Haruno? What will be your fate? If you choose to, I can consign you to the fate of your people, to wait until Naruto either triumphs, or the end of your people occurs. You will feel no pain. It will be as if you had fallen asleep."**

Naruto looked at Sakura sheepishly.

"S-sakura-chan…I would understand it if you wanted to go. I-I mean, it might be a little hard…and, well, I don't want you getting hurt, or anything…"

Sakura's face fell. Naruto didn't believe in her? She knew she wasn't that great of a ninja, but, it hurt hearing that from someone as nice as Naruto was. He couldn't lie to save his life, after all.

"…Do you really think I'm that useless, Naruto?"

Backpedaling, Naruto quickly raised his hands defensively, warding off imaginary blows.

"No way, Sakura-chan! I think you're an awesome ninja! You know all those things about how to be a good ninja, and you're really smart! A lot smarter than me, that's for sure."

Naruto then looked to the side, a melancholy smile stretched over his face.

"I just thought…maybe you'd then get to see Sasuke, if he didn't come through with us. Also, you'd be with your parents, and your friends. You wouldn't have to hang out with me, 'cause I know you'd probably miss your parents more, or something. I mean, I know I'm pretty annoying, and stuff…"

Sakura couldn't stand any more. With glassy eyes, she slapped Naruto as hard as she could. Stunned, Naruto fell back, clutching his burning cheek, surprise written all over his face.

Sniffling lightly, Sakura tried to compose herself.

"Don't EVER let me hear you get down like that again, Uzumaki. I'm your teammate, remember? I'd miss my parents, but it's okay. I'm a ninja of Konoha, remember? I can handle it."

Putting her hand to her eye to remove the slight bit of tears that had built up before they could fall, she continued.

"So if you really don't mind me coming…well, I'll try not to be a burden…"

Naruto's face lit up like a Christmas tree. The area around him almost seemed to light up as well.

"A burden?! You'd never be that, Sakura-chan!"

Smiling slightly, Sakura looked at her teammate.

"Okay then…"

Cosmos merely smiled at the heartwarming moment between the two Genin. It wasn't often she got to see such moments.

"**If you two are certain, then…"**

Naruto and Sakura turned to Cosmos simoultaneously, the Will of Fire burning in there eyes. They were more then certain.

"…**I now pronounce you two Warriors of Harmony. There are ten more such willing warriors as yourselves. They come from universes apart, mostly similar to each other. They will help you with your quest. Be prepared, young ones, for the road you have chosen will be fraught will peril beyond compare, and will not end for a long time. The universes are mixing, and the creatures that once roamed will still remain. Beware, for many of these beasts will not hesitate to turn you into their meal. Beware the Warriors of Chaos, for they are the ones I spoke of earlier. They will try to sway your path, or simply end your existence. Beware, little ones, beware…"**

As Cosmos ended her speech, she began to disappear. Finally, as her words echoed around them, Cosmos was gone, to oversee the battle once more. She had done all she could, after all.

Turning to his traveling companion, Naruto grinned happily.

"Well, Sakura-chan…are you ready for an adventure?"

Elsewhere, ten warriors, alone and together, saw a vision of a pure Goddess, wrapped in finery of white. Each warrior was subsequently told of the arrival of two new warriors, who would soon join their cause. Some would happily enjoy the help. Others would find themselves uncaring. But one found herself inexplicably drawn to them.

Terra Branford found herself asking her Goddess a question.

"Where can I find these new warriors?

Deep in a cavern thousands of feet below the earth, another being awoke. Another Goddess. However, this one was much less forgiving. She was much more angry at the world for her treatment. She was one very, VERY angry Mother.


	4. Chapter 4: Meeting Someone New

Hey there. SD1124 here. Guess what? Here comes the next chapter of Harmonic Maelstrom. Could yourself lucky, then. So, there, I guess. Time for reviews.

**mag77:** No, Chaos will stay his scaly, demonic self. No, he is not a girl. Watch the movie "Advent Children" or play FFVII to get the reference at the end of the last chapter.

**KHgiggle:** No, the person at the end of the last chapter is not Shukaku. For Shukaku to be out and about, Gaara would need to be out and about. That isn't the case here. See the above comment.

**Narutofan1091:** Do you know the meaning of fanservice? Well, here you go. Happy Whatever-You-Want-To-Call-This Day.

Yay for repeat reviewers. For added fun, answer the poll now found on my profile. Remember, this is a work in progress, and I will take ideas as they come from you guys. So, please, answer the poll, if you could. Anybody else want to comment? Please? PLEASE? PLEE-*is shot*...Okay, I get it. Don't beg. Got it. Well, that's it for the shout-out. Now, on with the show. First up, DISCLAIM!

**Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. Final Fantasy: Dissidia is owned by Square Enix. All SD1124 owns is a severe level of aversion to reality. **

**Now, on with the show!**

_**Hajime!**_

**Harmonic Maelstrom: Chapter Four - A Certain Level of Dementia**

The youth had been afraid, at first. That "at first" is what made all the difference. At first, he had been afraid, terrified even. The person who had brought him in had looked like a metal demon from the deepest bowels of hell. The worst part about him had been those eyes. They pulled a man in, and would peer into his soul, ripping it to shreds unmercifully. His armor...It looked harder than tempered steel, and heavier than unrefined iron. He was a mountain of a man. At least, he seemed to be a man, for he never removed his helm. He seemed only moments away from a battle, even when he slept. How he managed to even move...the youth could barely comprehend. He called himself "Garland". Then he had introduced the boy to the others.

A haughty man who carried himself with the grace of royalty (he knew this from the time the daimyo had stopped in his clan's housing to talk to his father.). He had a ruthless air about him, eyeing others much like pawns. His armor was...outlandish, to say the least. It had been covered by skulls, some seemingly ripped from their untimely victim's bodies. He carried a staff/sword, seeming to switch between the two often. He would answer to nothing less than "Emperor."

Next came a woman(?). She barely, if at all, covered herself. If anything, it was more for the others' needs than her own. Her hair reminded the boy of snakes, the way they moved about as if alive. She was pale, unearthly so. She had the pallor of undeath, or death, more likely. She wore a cape, dyed blood red. Well, it could have been dyed, but he would never be entirely sure. Attached to her were two strange appendages, what seemed to be tentacles of some sort. They displayed more emotion than the woman herself ever did. She had no name, but the others all called her the "Cloud of Darkness."

Next came another mountain of steel. He never removed his helm, but underneath it seemed to be only hate. He wasn't sure he could ever accrue the sheer amount of hate that this one man(?) did. All that seemed to motivate him was the malice he held within his heart for the rest of existence. He worshipped something he called the "Void", a state of being in which all was nothingness, and nothingness all. He moved the slowest of all, but he had no need for regular movement. He could teleport, and for such a large man, this was a terrifying thing indeed. However, he held something akin to reverence when it came to the Cloud of Darkness. She seemed to be some sort of High Priestess or something similar to him, a true representative of his Void. He called himself "Exdeath."

Another man garbed himself all in steel. However, something was different about this man. He wore ebon steel, darkened to make him seem even darker than the night. He seemed a hard man, cut like diamond. Still, something seemed...different...about him. He carried this air around him. It seemed a mix between remorse and determination. It was the strangest thing to him, how a man could seem so strange. He never really met him, but heard his name was "Golbez."

The next man, upon just meeting him infuriated him to no end, even with the knowledge that he had, at one time, been a true God. He joked, he pranked, and made a general nuisance of himself. However, underneath his clowning nature, a truly mad genius shone. He had the same glint in his eye as Orochimaru, that much he was certain of. That glint that signified his total disregard for human life. He cared not for the value of life, only for knowledge. Knowledge, and destruction. In fact, it seemed that total destruction of all was his true goal. He seemed fine with the fact that all he wished for was the entire world to burn. The boy was infuriated by him, and by the same coin, found himself all the more disturbed by his jolly manner. It reminded him far too much of his frie...ex-friend. His name was "Kefka."

The next man Sasuke felt only one thing for after only meeting him once: unbridled hatred. He carried himself the same way as his brother. He talked the same way as his brother. He even had a history similar to his brother. He used to be a hero, a great hero. Then, he killed innocents. Friends, even. He even killed his best friend. This man was an abomination. Only two things made it even worse: He thought himself a league above others, and the fact that he indeed was. His very walk seemed to cut the ground, much like the blade he carried. When Sasuke had first laid eyes on it, he scoffed. He was taught to never do such a thing again. One second, the man had been a room away. The next, the blade was pressing lightly into his throat, just enough to draw blood. After the event, the man only smiled at him. That smile brought such rage and fury to him, he almost lost himself every single time he looked at the man. The man was known simply as "Sephiroth."

The next person was a strange person to Sasuke. She seemed a mix between overbearing and somehow...sad. She had wings, but seemed a fallen angel. She was a Sorceress, or at least she claimed to be. He was skeptical of her magic. Then, she demonstrated to him her true power. Around the two of them, time itself stopped. However, he and her could still move. It was amazing, and frightening. He had no real way to guard against it. If she wanted to, she could more than likely kill him in moments, and no one would be the wiser. However, after she had ended her demonstration, he noticed her attempt conceal her exhaustion. He could tell everyone saw it, and if he could, she was seemed only moments away from passing out on the floor. Her hands were almost claws, and screamed of promised pain. She had the strangest hair, though. It was like two giant grey horns, sticking out of her head. She carried herself with quiet dignity. Her very name was of another order above normality. "Ultimecia." (Garland laughed at Sasuke whenever they passed her. It seemed the Uchiha thought her somewhat attractive...)

Another person, another annoyance. This time it was a dramatic young man. (At least, Sasuke _thought_ he was a man. He honestly felt that no man had a right to look that feminine. He was still on the fence about the gender of that Haku person.) He was strange, in that he seemed to float with every step he took. Then he noticed that he did, indeed _float_. He thought himself better than the ground itself. (By now, he was quite amazed by the amount of prideful people he had met. It forced him to take a hard look at how he had acted throughout his life. It didn't seem that good.) Honestly, being around the man annoyed him to no end. He sneered at the flighty man's name. Feh, "Kuja."

The final member of the Warriors of Chaos was another giant. For once, however, he didn't wear much armor. Though, after a look at the amount of muscles on him, he wasn't sure a blade could really cut him. Seriously, that much muscle on a man was just...wow. He was a bronze god, as there was no other terminology that seemed to fit him. A man could break his entire arm trying to punch him. Then the mountain of muscle told him just how old he really was. Over 50? That was...how could someone be in that shape at that age? It defied all logic! Still, the man was about as tactful as a kunai to the forehead. Blunt and to the point. He was a simple man, and seemed out-of-place on the side of Chaos. It was strange, to be sure. All of it was. He probably would have left had Garland not stopped him cold.

_"As of now, Sasuke Uchiha, Konoha, Oto...Everything you have ever known, anything you could have ever have cared about, is gone. Dust in the wind. You are the last of your kind, Sasuke. As are we all..."_

Even now, that voice made him shiver. It was as harsh as steel upon steel. Garland reeked of battle, be it in speaking or in doing. Sasuke shook his head. He was now here for the long haul. Sure, he had denied them at first. The world he knew...It couldn't possibly be gone. Then they showed him his world, or at least, what remained of it. All the buildings stood, no tree was unharmed, but it was empty. No human walked those streets, nor did any work in the fields, or train, or...anything. No one was there. All of Konoha was a ghost town. At first, he had thought it was a genjutsu, but he couldn't break out of it. He even went so far as to stab himself in the arm (repeatably), but the scene never changed. He was truly alone. Then, he had no purpose. If there was no one left...Itachi was gone. He couldn't avenge his family...Then came the emptiness. He had failed. Failed so very, very utterly. He sat alone for hours on end, doing nothing but staring off into the distance. Then Garland gave him a purpose. He told him that strange men were coming, trying to bring everything back. He would have leapt to join them, but then Garland told him of what would happen, should they succeed.

_"The world will be back to normal. Yes, that much is true. But then...then the true horror happens. We are honest about our want for the end of the world. But they delude themselves, prolonging the pain. The world will return to normal, but then all will happen again. We have participated in this war so many times that I have truly lost count. They forget every time, but we...we remember. We are forced to fight, again and again, without end! I am tired, Sasuke. Tired of the war. Tired of this life. I just want to rest, Sasuke. I just want to rest...Will you help me gain that rest, Sasuke? Will you help me finally gain my deserved sleep?"_

...He couldn't say "Yes" fast enough.

_**Elsewhere...**___

"Are we there yet?"  
"No."  
"...Are we there yet?"  
"No, Naruto..."  
"...Are we there yet~?"  
"No, Naruto...!"  
"...Are we the-"  
"NO, NARUTO! SHUT UP!"  
"...sorry."

They had been traveling for days. The surroundings had melded together for the first few days, nothing but white and gray. Luckily, Sakura had thought to have a pack ready when she had come out after the group against orders. She had packed a few days worth of food, and some extra clothes. Sadly, Naruto had not had this foresight, and had to often walk around in his boxers while waiting for his clothes to dry. He often volunteered to do Sakura's, but often the intent behind the words got misconstrued. In other words, BANG, POW, ZOOM.

On the fourth day of travel, they finally came to something different. The air felt charged, almost filled with electricity. It was a strange affair, where one small misstep was rewarded with a small jolt. Naruto went first. It took them half an hour to reach the center of the charged atmosphere, and by that time both kids' hair was close to standing on end. When they both reached the center, though, what they saw...well, it puzzled them. It looked like a giant stone...door. Circling it, there was nothing on the other side of it, just a giant stone door. Still, the air around it (except for the electricity, which they could definitely have done without), smelled pleasant. It was slightly tropical, reminding them of the time they had ventured to the Land of the Moon. It had that island paradise feel to it, almost. Still, one couldn't help but be a little wary of a giant stone door...thing that just being near sent small jolts of electricity racing up and down your spine. Naruto, though, got a idea in his head. One that probably wasn't the best idea, but when he got an idea in his head, well...

"Hey, Sakura-chan...Let's open it. I got a good feeling about it."

Sakura just gave him a look. Sure, opening the door would answer the question that was buzzing in her head (or maybe that was the electricity?), but what if something bad happened? What if they got separated? What if-

Naruto hadn't waited for a reply. He rushed forward, and slapped his hand on the door. Why? Well, it seemed like the right thing to do...It immediately lit up, large green symbols lining it. As the symbols grew, a loud rumbling began to be heard. Within moments, the sound grew and grew, quickly becoming deafening. Soon, Sakura wasn't sure she'd be able to hear again. And she knew EXACTLY who to blame it on if they lived through this. The next thing the young Genin knew, the door vaporized, and then a bright light. Then nothing.

When they awoke, they found themselves on a beach at sunset, overlooking the largest stretch of ocean the two had ever known. All around them seemed to be nothing but jungle, the multiple greens and browns fading into each other. There was no door in sight. They had no idea where they were, no idea how'd they had gotten there, and apparently, no way back. Great...just great...Sakura found she could only do one thing.

"NARUTO, YOU...YOU...ARRGH!"

"GAH! I'm sorry! Don't hurt me!"

"TOO LATE FOR THAT, BAKA!"

"AHHH! NOOOoooOOO~!"

Off like a shot, Naruto ran, a furious Sakura behind him. Hell was on its way, and Naruto was about to catch it. Quickly diving into the foliage, he found a path, nestled between the rocks and the trees. Sparing just a moment to look behind him, he almost screamed at the sight. She was right behind him, and boy, did she look angry! Turning up the speed, the blonde knucklehead dashed even further ahead, leaping over a small overhang. However, he hadn't been ready for the water he found himself about to land in. Quickly, he remembered his lessons from Ero-sennin. Thankful for the pervert once again, he quickly ran forward.

However, he stopped when he heard a splash. Skidding across the top of the water, Naruto whipped around. Behind him, Sakura was flailing about in the water. She hadn't been taught how to walk on water yet? Swearing underneath his breath, Naruto ran for her. Sliding to his knees next to her, he reached a hand down to her, ready to pull her up to him. That is, until she was pulled underwater. Panic welling up in his chest, Naruto immediately cut the chakra flowing to his knees, and swam under. What he saw went against most of the creatures in his world. It was a giant half-fish, half-man creature. It had deep blue scales, all the bluer under the water as they were. Its fin was massive, and looked as if it could smash a small boat in half should it hit the fin. The creature's eyes gave off a malevolent yellow glow, almost hellish in the dark blue water. They stared hungrily back at Naruto, signifying its bestiality. Perhaps worst of all, though, were the monster's claws. They were evil things, sharp enough to rend flesh and bone as easily as a hot knife through butter. This much was apparent from how it held onto Sakura. Naruto could see small rivulets of crimson floating away from where it held onto her arms. If he had been above water, Naruto would have snarled.

The creature was dragging her deeper in, powering quickly through the water. Still, it never let its gaze off of the young male ninja. He was swimming as fast as he could, but he had never really had a reason to swim. Now, however, he was throwing all his inhuman stamina into reaching that beast, and tearing it limb from limb for hurting Sakura. Sadly, it still was pulling away.

Just as it was about to go out of sight, something streaked through the water, bubbles trailing in its wake. It rushed straight towards the monster, the bubbles concealing the object's true nature. A moment later, and a strange blade found itself buried almost to the hilt in the creature's skull. Without another word, it went slack, letting loose the pink haired girl. She had passed out from a combination of the depth and the blood loss. Even though it was dead, the beast had left its mark: long furrows deep into her arms. Red flowed out of the wounds, like sanguine ribbons. The bubbles then grabbed the girl, and launched toward the surface. Naruto was intent on catching the strange thing, and probably ready to leave nothing but bloody pulp if anything happened to his friend.

Breaking clear of the water, the young Konoha Genin rushed toward the shore. What greeted him was the sight of a blonde haired young man, in probably the strangest clothing he would ever see. He wore a pair of black overalls, one leg missing. Underneath the overalls, he wore what appeared to be a yellow and white hoodie, complete with what seemed to be unnecessary points. To complete the outlandish clothing, he wore black leather boots and strange black gauntlet.

He was hunched over Naruto's comatose companion, and turned when he heard Naruto clear the surf.

"Hurry up and get your soggy butt over here, kid! I need help to stop the bleeding, or she might not make it!"

Within the space of seconds, Naruto was next to the boyish youth.

"What do I need to do?" he all but shouted, panic seeping into his voice.

"Quick, we need something to stop the bleeding. Something to tie to the wound, or something..."

Ripping his jacket off in moments, Naruto quickly took a kunai to the sleeves. They were soon nothing but large orange strips.

"Will these do?"

A quick nod later, and they were tied firmly to the paler-by-the-minute pinkette.

"Shit...she needs some White Magic. Pick her up, and follow me!"

Moments later, they were off through the rocky crags and jungle.

"...I'm Naruto."

"Call me Tidus, but the rest can wait until we save your friend!" 

**Author's Notes:** You guys want a new chapter? Here it is. Yes, a wild Tidus appeared. I know. I couldn't help it. I just like him, okay? Well, I've left you on a cliffhanger now, haven't I? Oh well. It's not as if I've got anything better to do, really. So, come on, tell me what you guys think. Hit that little button at the bottom of the screen. Y'know, the little green one. The one that says "Review" on it. It'd just make my day. Really, it would. Don't you want to make a guy's day? Please? Oh, and don't forget about the poll that's now up on my profile. I'll be closing it soon. Don't know when. So, yeah. Review, Poll...uhm...anything else...? Oh. I need ideas for Limit Breaks for Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura. Send them in with PM's, and explain what they do. If I like how it sounds, it might get used. That's all for now. See you babies later! Spirits are always with you~!

**Current Levels:**

Naruto Uzumaki:  
Level: 15  
HP: 400/750  
MP: 230/230  
Class: ?  
Weapon: Basic Kunai

Sakura Haruno:  
Level: 8  
HP: 35/250  
MP: 300/300  
Class: ?  
Weapon: Basic Kunai

Tidus:  
Level: 60  
HP: 5000/6300  
MP: 2300/2500  
Weapon: Brotherhood 


	5. Chapter 5: So, How Was YOUR Day?

Chapter Five, here it goes. Thanks to all those how have reviewed, because now this chapter on its way. Yay, Chapter Five! A milestone, if anything. About time, don't you guys think? Well, besides that, it is now time for reviews, isn't it?

**mag77:** Sorry to say, but Ultimecia is not, and I repeat, NOT going to be Rinoa from the future. Sorry, although I admit, that would be a cool plot device. I may change my mind on that, actually. Just going to have to see now, aren't we?

**xrinoa-chanx:** No, you don't sound like Shantotto, don't worry. Also, thanks for the wonderful ideas about Limit Breaks. I'll give them some thought, don't worry. Maybe you'll see something like it in the future?

**narutofan1091:** Hmm...interesting idea for Sakura. I have yet to see the move in action though, so maybe not. Who knows?

Well, that's the reviews I got, and all the submissions for Limit Breaks for now. Please, I know that other people read this. I would really like to add more names to the Wall of Reviews here. You get a nice shout out in the Author's Notes, a possible usage of ideas, and even an internet cookie on occaision. So, please, I'd like more people to say they liked it. Even if it's just a "Cool" or a "Good Job". That's all I ask for. Well, time to get to work. Let's get this show on the road.

**Disclaimer: SD1124 has no ownership of either Naruto (Masashi Kishimoto) or Final Fantasy: Dissidia (Square Enix). However, he has expressed feverish desires to possibly try to impersonate either groups to gain such properties. So far, he has just drawn sharpie mustaches upon his person. **

They sped through the jungle, faster than Naruto had ever moved before. Then again, the girl that was the last tie he had to his home was never injured to the point of death before, either. The closest to her dying had been against Gaara, and that fight seemed almost a lifetime ago. He still never really remembered that much of what happened after that fight.  
Now wasn't exactly the time for reminiscing, either. After smelling the blood, it seemed that almost all the island's monsters were after them now. He could see them behind him, just within seeing distance. If he was forced to stop for anything, though...he didn't want to think about it. Those monsters seemed just about ready to tear him, Tidus, and Sakura to pieces, given the chance. Giant birds, wolf-things, and even what looked like a moving blue...blob. Onward they pressed.

Half an hour later, Naruto found himself in front of a large, stone building. The sounds of the creatures had dwindled as soon as they entered the village. Naruto had noticed that Tidus took but a small second to stare at one house in particular, before continuing on. As he neared the giant temple, he could feel the power of...of _something_ around him. As he stepped closer, he started to hear some sort of...singing. Whatever it was, it was beautiful.  
Shaking his head, Naruto adjusted Sakura in his arms. She looked so pale, with slivers of crimson snaking their way down her arms. Ergh...just the thought of snakes chilled him. Ever since he'd met that _freak_ Orochimaru, he'd developed a bit of an aversion to the animals. Damn it, he was zoning out again!  
Tidus had entered the temple (there was no other word Naruto had to describe the building), and immediately darted to a elevator near the back. Without a second thought, Naruto followed. As he stepped onto the machine, he couldn't will the stupid thing to go any faster. Every second that passed was another drop of Sakura's blood. He wouldn't...no, **couldn't **let that happen...he'd be alone again...As the elevator finally hit the bottom of the building, Naruto was presented with a look at what appeared to be strange ruins. Behind him, Tidus breathed out.  
"Wow...this brings back memories..."  
Naruto turned to look at him, still holding Sakura bridal style. If she'd been conscious, she'd probably have clocked him a good one. Tidus jumped slightly, remembering the entire reason he'd dragged Naruto here.  
"Crap! Sorry, almost forgot!" he shouted as he leapt. Ah, the occaisional mindlessness of memory...  
Quickly, the two leapt out of the elevator, and stopped in that hallway. There, as they stood still, Tidus called out.  
"Hey, guys! I found two people!"  
At this, three others found their way out of the darkness of the roofless hall.  
One draped in armor of darkest shadow, who carried an air of pure mystery about himself. He seemed almost preoccupied as he clmbered out of his hiding place. Clutched in his gauntlet-covered hand was a mean looking spear, looking about ready to rend flesh from bone quicker than one could blink. With shock apparent in his voice, he responded, "How is that possible, Tidus? You know no one could be left after the War! Are you certain?"  
"As certain as I could be, Cecil! Also, one of them is hurt real bad! A Sahagin attacked her!"  
"Her...Hurt? Bring her down then, already!"  
Without further ado, Naruto and Tidus stepped towards the dark-clad knight. Wary to relinquish her, Naruto held onto her tightly, clutching her frail body to his chest. He had trusted them so far, but he wasn't exactly ready to hand Sakura over to people he didn't know. He wasn't dumb, just naive. However, even _he_ wasn't that naive. Cautiously, he addressed the armor covered man.  
"Just what do you plan on doing to her? Try anything funny and I'll kill you."

As Naruto half-growled this, a light haze of red began to seep out around him, palpably malicious.

Backing up surprised, Cecil raised his hands in a defensive manner. Behind him, another of the three came into sight. He was an intimidating sort of man, due to all the weapons he carried. (Tenten would have had a wet dream.) Just to carry so many weapons, the man had to be strong. He walked with an archer's precision and a warrior's grace. Each step shook with the strength of a falling axe, and the deftness of knives. The man was deadly, there was no two ways about it. Calm, he walked up to the nervous boy.

"Don't worry. We just have things to heal her with. If you're so anxious about it, we'll let you treat her."

At this, Tidus' head whipped toward the silver-haired man.

"Woah! Are you sure, Firion? I mean, we just met this kid! He could be working for Chaos!"

Naruto just glared at Tidus, red starting to bleed into his eyes. Claws were starting to form, holding lightly onto the still-bleeding girl. By now, she was deathly pale. He could still hear her heartbeat, but it was like a tired bird. It fluttered quietly, slowing. This was going far too slow.

"Give me the stuff. **Now.**" he muttered darkly.

Sensing the growing discontent of the youth, Firion reached into his satchel. Slipping his hand back out, he handed an elixer over to Naruto.

"Have your friend there drink half of what is in this bottle. After that, dab the rest on her wounds at least every hour. After that, well, the rest is up to her."

Naruto practically had ripped the bottle out of Firion's hands before he had fully finished speaking. Not wasting any time, he fled back towards the entrance to another room. Upon the steps, he took off the tattered remains of his jacket, and rolled it up into a pillow. Laying Sakura on the step, he gingerly placed her head on the pillow. Uncorking the bottle, he carefully raised her head to drip the elixer down her whitened lips. Kami, she was too pale! Praying ferociously, Naruto continued to slowly pour the draught down his teammates' throat. As he did so, he began to notice that she slowly began to regain some color. Along with this, her eyes began to slowly open.

I had been in a realm of darkness. Nothingness flowed all around me, making up the totality of my universe. The nothingness around me began to weigh heavier, and I felt myself slowly begin to fade into that nothingness. Sure, as it happened, there was pain. But the longer it continued, the less pain I felt. It was as if I was past the point of caring. It could have been the erasure of my soul, or the deletion of my existence, or anything for that matter, but I felt myself fading away with every passing moment. I saw my life flashing before my eyes, small snatches of a girl's pathetic life. She had never really had any friends, nor had she been that distinctive. The only really unique thing about this child was the color of her hair: pink, like the sakura petals that fell about her in the springtime air. She had tried to make herself stand out more, but all she did was bring those around her down. A dark haired boy, sneering at her uselessness, and deeming her unnecessary. A white haired man, reading from a book in absolute boredom. However, the one image that seemed to hurt the most was that of the bright ray of sunshine that constantly shone down on her. However, she attempted to ignore it, in favor of the dark haired boy. As time went on, the ray of sunshine faded away, never to be seen again. However, as this vision transpired, a voice broke through the haze that surrounded me. It sounded worried, yet warm at the same time. It had something to it, I suppose. As the voice got louder, the images that floated by me of the pathetic girl and her make-believe world faded away. While the images grew fuzzier, I could make out what the voice was attempting to say.  
"Sakura-chan...come back, please..." it begged. Well, who was I to disappoint...?

The girl came back to life in his arms. Naruto, for once, did not whoop and generally make a fool out of himself. No, what he did instead was perhaps one of the moments that, when he would reflect upon later in life, he could honestly say that he was _cool_. Smiling brilliantly, he just gazed warmly at the girl in that lay within upon him. Working past several tons of relief and worry, he barely managed to speak.  
"Don't you _ever_ do that again to me, Sakura-chan...I don't want to be alone here..." he choked out, a lone tear snaking its way out of his eye.  
Sakura just managed to look back at him, really looking for once. For the first time in her life, she didn't see Naruto as the idiot, or the dead last, or even an annoyance. No, she couldn't even bear to think those things about the boy, since he had effectively just saved her life. She saw him for what he was: a teammate who she could actually count on, and a friend.  
"Thank you...Naruto..." she whispered to him quietly.  
If it hadn't been for the fact that she was still a bit out of it, she probably would have noticed the large blush that colored her teammates face. After her statement, however, a dull throb managed to ripple through her arms, making itself known to the kunoichi. Biting her lip in pain, she let out a small gasp. Attentive as he was, Naruto immediately grabbed some of the pain medication that had been in Sakura's pack. (He found himself grateful that he had rifled through it while it he waited for her to awaken.)  
"Here...this should help with the pain a little...at least, that's what it says on the bottle..."  
Without any more ado, Sakura practically lunged for the bottle, gauging the correct dosage subconciously. Within moments, the numbing agent worked, and Sakura could no longer feel the pain in her arms. However, as a result, she couldn't feel her arms, period.  
"Uhm...Naruto...I'm kind of hungry, and I can't really use my arms..." she managed to say, feeling horribly embarrassed.  
Naruto, for the most part, was attempting to comprehend such a simple statement. It wasn't that the wording or the syntax of that small, simple sentence fried his brain, no, it was what was _implied_ by such a statement. It implied a small level of trust that he had only with a select few (Old Man Hokage, may he rest in peace, the Ichiraku, and Iruka).  
"Uh...are...are you sure, Sakura-chan?"  
In response, Sakura just gave him a slightly frosty glare. The kind of glare that leaves its victims' intestines feeling slightly frostbitten.  
"O-okay...Just...just don't do that again..."

Firion watched the two ninja, lost in their own worlds. It was slightly touching, to say the least. Of course, every happy moment needs a dark cloud...  
"Tch...sickening. Don't those two know exactly how much danger that they're in right now? That girl is only going to be a nuisance now...They should both just leave, before something bad happens. It would be much kinder to both of them..." a spiky, blonde-haired man spoke out harshly. Firion couldn't help but sigh.  
"Cloud...why must you be so abrasive? It's a moment of rest. We all need one, once in a while. You, of all people should know that. You got lucky we found you when we did. You were surrounded by all those...things."  
As if he had been physically struck, Cloud instinctively grabbed his left arm, where a tattered red ribbon hung. It was still blood-stained, and obviously hadn't been washed in a long time.  
"You should have just let me die. It would have been much kinder..."  
With that, the young man quickly turned around, and stalked away, shaking his head. Once again, Firion couldn't stop a sigh from escaping his lips. His erstwhile companion really knew how to make a scene. Now he had to sit through another of Tidus' long-winded stories about himself, in order to pick up his spirits once more. Cloud had a talent for casting a, well, cloud, over any conversation. Thank the Spirits for his other friends. Tidus was, well, practically a young, boisterous child who had yet to understand what he was in for. Cecil was a soldier, but a thoughtful one. One who would really only talk if he had something to say. And Cloud...well, he was grounded, at least. Still, he was often much more a dampener on their spirits than a real help. Looking back at the two children that had entered their midst, he felt curiosity stirring once more. Who were they, and why hadn't they just joined the Crystals, like everyone else? What were they still doing here? That curiosity ran, until he saw exactly what was happening. Then, he couldn't help himself. He laughed long and hard, until tears streamed down his face and he had fallen to his knees.

"...Naruto...what the hell is this..?"  
"Why, it's ramen, Sakura-chan! It's the food of Kami herself, you know!"  
"Naruto...I hate ramen."  
"...What...? I don't think I heard you properly. 'Cause, you obviously couldn't have said what I thought you said."  
"You heard me right: I. Hate. Ramen."  
"T-those words...Can they truly be said in the same sentence? I mean...I don't think it's possible..."  
"I hate ramen! I hate ramen! I hate ramen! I hate ramen!..."  
"NOoooOOOO! You can't! It isn't even physically possible! It's a sin against Kami! Are you trying to be sacriligious?"  
"I hate ramen!"  
"Stop saying that!"  
As the discussion continued, some how, the ramen had flown up into the air, and landed upon both children's heads. However, neither had noticed, so locked in their discussion as they were. Finally, it took the laughing of Tidus, Firion, and Cecil combined to make them turn.  
"WHAT'S SO DAMN FUNNY?"  
As they turned to each other, they noticed the (by now) cold noodles hanging from each other's hair. They froze for a moment, each slowly taking in each other's appearance. Finally, a small snicker found its way out of Naruto. Not even a moment later, a smile appeared on Sakura's face. Not even five seconds later, they both started laughing.

In the corner, Cloud huffed.  
"I don't see what's so damn funny. They were so caught up with each other, that they didn't see their own foolishness. So what..."  
As he said this though, memories floated up in his brain, of a girl with long, black hair. Then of a girl in a pink dress, smiling dazzlingly.  
"Damn you two...can't I go a day without being reminded of how much of a failure I am...?"

**Aaand...cut! Sorry it took so long to get this out! I blame my muse for being so lazy and not making me work on this when I had the time. Oh, and Xbox. You cruel, cruel mistress. Can I not have enough of your sweet, tender way of making bloodshed so romantic? *Sigh* I digress. So, yeah. Sorry about the lateness. However, updates WILL be sporadic. Not due to any good reason, like illness or moving, or anything. I just blame my lack of inspiration. So...yeah. Read, Review, and Prosper. SD, out.**


	6. Chapter 6: Hymnmin' the Bassline

'**Ello, poppets! What's new, mah kiddies? SD here with a new chapter, all for your viewing pleasure! First off, I apologize for the shortness of the last chapter. I am trying to format these chapters better, and apparently failing in some regards. I'll do better (I hope.) Other than that, yeah. Shout-out to my reviewers (you all know who you are, you awesome people, you.) The reason for the space between this and the last chapter? I blame Lord Kamina and the Dai-Gurren Brigade. If you don't know who this magnificent man is, watch "Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann." I demand it. You will forever be chanting in times of strife, "ROW ROW FIGHT THE POWAH." Well, enough of that. Time to get to it.**

**Disclaimer: SD1124 does not own either Naruto or Final Fantasy: Dissidia. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto and Square Enix, respectively. No witticisms this time. Sorry.**

**Chapter Six: The Power of the Ages…**

Sakura woke up later than normal the next day. A lot of things ran through her mind. Most along the lines of "Why am I here?" and "What's going to happen to me?" All in all, very legitimate questions. Still, she found the energy to rise from her sleeping bag, and begin to greet the day. After the Sahagin incident, her arms were irreversibly different. Right in the middle of each forearm were three long furrows, snaking all the way up her arms to her shoulders. The beast had held onto her, even as it had died, shredding muscle and sinew. She thanked Kami that Naruto and she had been found by Tidus, or else…well, she didn't really want to follow that train of thought. Speaking of Naruto, Sakura looked over her shoulder to the bag next to hers. Inside it was one messy, blonde head peeking out of the lip of the bag. A small smile found its way to her face at this.

_ "Count on Naruto to make me feel better, even when he's not even conscious…"_

As it was, she was doubly thankful that he'd been there with her, nursing her (wow, that sounded weird to her) back to health. He hadn't left her side, except for the obligatory bathroom break. Even then, he wouldn't wander off too far. In a sense, it was kind of nice to think that. After all this, she couldn't really think of him as a blockhead any more. She couldn't think of anyone else she'd rather be stuck with at this moment.

_**"…Except maybe Sasuke-kun…"**_

…At least, that's what she kind of thought.

Abandoning such thoughts, Sakura began to walk around the small ruins that she found herself in. The other warriors had left earlier that morning, stating that they would look for some supplies in the nearby town. Apparently, this town was one Tidus was familiar with, calling it something like "Bee-sayd" or something. No, that wasn't right…Besaid, that's what it was! Yeah, he said that he'd also started his journey off here. It was kinda funny, really.

She saw a lot of Naruto in Tidus, and that was more than in just looks (and if those looks were anything to go by, Naruto would have to beat the girls off with a stick when he got older). No, he acted a lot like him, too. He'd make a silly crack about how cool he was, or start on some grandiose tale about how he defeated some monster or other. He liked to smile a lot, too.

As she walked around the small anteroom of the chamber underneath what Tidus called a temple of the Fayth, she began to think more on the other people she had only just met. From what she could tell, all of them were really strong. Strong enough to put down both her and Naruto easily enough. Tidus, while silly, exuded a fluid grace that couldn't really be pinned down, it was not dissimilar from how the ocean moved, really.

That Firion guy, too, he seemed to be more than she could put a real finger on. He just seemed to understand each and every weapon he owned on more of a level than she had ever seen. Granted, she hadn't ever really seen any kenjutsu* users before, but he just seemed it. She wished that Ten-Ten were here to meet this guy. Something told her that being here would have been a dream come true to the bun-haired girl. Trying to shake her head of the thoughts of people she couldn't talk to for a very, _very_ long time, she began to muse on the next man.

Cecil was, in a word, a person who made her think eerily of Sasuke-kun. Maybe it was his habit of only communicating only when completely necessary, or how he just seemed to be sort of detached from everyone. He had told her a little about himself in passing, actually. While Naruto had fallen asleep, he had come over and talked to her about everyone. He was currently searching for his brother (another weird coincidence…), who had apparently joined the bad guys' side. The creepiest thing to Sakura, however, was how similar Cecil's voice was to Sasuke-kun's.

That brought her to the final person she had met last night: one Cloud Strife. He was the signature "eye candy" of the group. While none of them were at all bad to look at, (Far from that, actually! Well, except for Cecil. She had no idea what he looked like underneath that dark helm) Cloud was the most jaw-droppingly hot. He had that mysterious air about him, like he was a puzzle that she couldn't help but be tempted to solve. Also, those eyes…they sent shivers down her young spine. From fear or attraction, though, she could never tell. That was due to the simple fact that Cloud Strife was Dangerous, with a capital D. He was volatile, easily angered, and just plain mean to her. He wouldn't stomach any signs of fan-girl from her, be they simple butterfly eyes to a simple blush. If anything, whenever he even caught a whiff of anything like that, and he'd tell her she would have been better off in the Crystal, to not burden "real warriors". Although, no matter how harsh he was, he'd never kick her while she was down. And, strangely enough, as soon as he would finish another tirade against her, she'd catch a glimpse of something similar to guilt in his eyes. She couldn't figure out Cloud Strife.

As soon as she stepped out of her musing, Sakura found that she had inadvertently entered into the room at the end of the hall. Tidus had warned them both to be careful around there, because when he himself had come through here, there had been some sort of monsters lurking within it. At this point, Sakura immediately attempted to pull a U-turn, but the door seemed to be locked by some sort of glyph*. So, she had no choice but to go forward, apparently. Walking forward, she found herself presented with something she COULD handle: puzzles. After only a bit of walking about, picking up spheres and placing them in predestined places, she found something within one of the walls after using her final Destruction Sphere: a weapon. Upon touching it, she felt her mind clear almost immediately. Surprised, she dropped the rod. As soon as her fingers left the wood of the staff, she felt her mind return to normal. It felt…odd. After a moment, she slowly reached her hand for the rod once more. This time ready for it, Sakura hefted the strange weapon. Once again, her mind cleared as she picked up the weapon. Her mind felt clearer, able to make out even minute differences in, well, pretty much anything. As such, she decided that she would keep the weapon. Taking it firmly in hand, she felt as if she could take on anything.

Moving onward into the temple, she found strange music beginning to funnel into her head, like someone singing. A beautiful young woman, in fact…It began to stir something deep in her heart, as if she had been waiting her entire life to hear this song…As the song began to surround her, she slowly began to dance, the rod an extension of her body. As she continued to dance, more voices began to join in, both male and female. Finally, they all dropped off, leaving only a small boy singing. In her head, heart, and mind, she could hear the words dripping off her toungue.

" _**Ieyuri…**_

_**Nobumenu…**_

_**Renmiri…**_

_**Yojuyogu…**_

_**Hasatekanae…**_

_**Kutamae…"**_

As the song began to die, a small boy faded in from out of the darkness towards her. His face hidden by a purple hood, Sakura had no idea who he was, but as soon as he began to speak, she couldn't help but feel unbridled power and age within this…boy, if he truly was one.

"**Hello, Haruno Sakura…Me and my kin have been awaiting you…"**

Sasuke was not having a good day. No, he was not. Firstly, he had to be subjected to magical tutoring by that FIEND Kefka, who so blatantly enjoyed causing him pain unimaginable.

_"Now, how are we going to learn without a TEENSY, WEENSY bit of difficulty? As they say, 'no pain, NO GAIN!' AHA HA HA HA HAH HAH!"_

By Kami, he LOATHED that clown. Still, he couldn't help but notice the results. He was starting to learn how to draw upon the natural energies within other beings, and pull magic from them. He was told it was an advanced sort of magic, known as "Drawing". So far, he had managed to Draw up a type of magic known as Scan from Kefka, and from what he could tell, he wished he hadn't. There had been no nudity, no obsecenity, but the sheer amount of energy and evil contained within such a being…He felt dirty still, even after his third shower that day. He had tried Scanning the other beings he shared dorms with, often receiving more than he bargained for. The emperor's power stemmed from below the ground, if that was believable. He had almost gone into shock at observing the Cloud of Darkness's power level. He had no wish to try again after that.

His favorite teacher by far, however, was that of Ultimecia. Not because she was pretty (although, she was indeed that), but because she seemed much like himself: broken, almost irrepairable. She had apparently been betrayed by her Knight, who was similar to a brother or a husband. But even more so, she told him. What she taught him was how to simply gather energy, and use it for tasks others could only dream of. So far, she had taken his Chidori, and helped him meld it with magic to create a whole new attack. The day they had done this, Garland himself had appeared within the small chamber, taken notice of the attack's power, and given it his blessing. The sheer power of mixing magic with chakra was amazing to him! He was gaining more power than he could have ever dreamed possible! If this kept up, he could…! But then, the cold truth swam in once more. His brother was dead, and he had no chance to return the favor upon him. But he could grow stronger, and help the man who gave him purpose to achieve his dream.

"**How goes the prodigy's training, Garland…?"**

"**Well, my Lord. He grows exponentially the more time he spends with Ultimecia. If I didn't know better, I would say that she is grooming him to become her new Knight."**

"**All the better, then. Continue on, Garland. This cycle will soon end, and all will drown…in Chaos…"**

"…**Yes, my Lord…"**

"Whew…we got lucky there, didn't we?"

"You have absolutely no idea how right you are, you know that? If you hadn't had that _brilliant_ idea to seal us both up, we probably would be dead right now."

"Yeah, I AM pretty awesome, aren't I?

**THWACK!**

"OOWW! What was that for, Hime?"

"For being an absolute moron, Ero-baka…"  
"Hey…"

**AN: So there it is, kids! Another chapter down, and I left you all some presents! Who is Sakura talking to? Speaking of speaking, who else is there? Why am I asking all of you this? **

**Enough of all that. Sorry for taking so long, just had to re-write the ENTIRE chapter. I had one idea for this chapter, but in the end, I just couldn't get the interaction just right. It was supposed to feature Cloud and Naruto, bickering back and forth, with Naruto learning more about Cloud, and Cloud getting a chip in his figurative armor. Buuut~! Since I couldn't get the dialogue to sound natural enough to me, I decided to scrap it. Don't worry, such a scene will happen sooner or later (bet on later, since Cloud's a hardass like that), and I hopefully will be able to do that scene justice. Until then, complete 180. So, if you can guess who's talking, what item Sakura picked up, and give me a guess on what type of attack Sasuke's picking up, then you'll get to have first look at the next chapter. Yes, that's right, I'll send the person who gets the closest answers first an entire first look at the next chapter BEFORE it hits . So, put your thinking hats on, kids, it's gonna be a bumpy ride.**

**SD1124**


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